Reporting an Emergency On Campus

Call 9-1-1 signage on the side of a campus fire engine

Reporting an Emergency

Despite our name, the Office of Emergency Services is not the appropriate place to report an emergency situation. The focus of OES is more on general campus safety, emergency preparedness and planning. While we do have an important role in coordinating the response to major campus emergencies, we are not involved in the dispatch of first responder public safety resources - that is the responsibility of the campus Public Safety Dispatch Center operated through the UCSC Police Department.

To report an emergency on campus, dial 9-1-1 from any campus phone or cell phone. You can also use a blue light emergency phone or elevator emergency phone, which is the same as calling 9-1-1. The campus Public Safety Dispatch Center is staffed 24/7 and answers all 9-1-1 calls on campus. The UCSC Police Department is dispatched directly by campus dispatch. For fire and medical calls, campus dispatch will transfer the caller to Santa Cruz Regional 9-1-1 for dispatch of the Santa Cruz Fire Department and/or an ambulance.

Please do not call the business/office phone numbers for the UCSC Police Department, Santa Cruz Fire Department or any other campus unit to report an emergency situation. While it may seem faster to talk to the department directly, these numbers are not staffed 24/7 and calling these numbers delays the emergency response. Always dial 9-1-1 if you have an emergency situation or think an emergency situation may be occuring. When in doubt, dial 9-1-1.

Non-Emergency Reporting

Some situations may not be an emergency but still require a report to be made. The following links contain online reports forms and/or more information on how to report other situations such as non-emergent crimes, concerning behavior, building/facility issues, workplace hazards, and other concerns.